A girl who loves to eat and travel

Bake sale frenzy at Flour Market

I’m still coming down from my post Flour Market sugar high. Melbourne’s hippest bake sale was on again in Collingwood on Sunday morning with queues stretching around the block to get in. I really hate queuing for things, particularly in the morning on an empty stomach but I couldn’t resist finding out what all the hype was about.

Pastries using native Australian ingredients by Jo Barrett at Flour Market

Flour Market brings together Melbourne’s best artisan bakers. Some of the participants, such as Linh Dang, don’t have any shops or outlets so getting to Flour Market is the only way you can sample their wares.

Inside the Flour Market

Inside the town hall there’s a party atmosphere with music blasting and crowds thronging each stall. Everyone totes around cardboard trays (given out at the door) to collect their baked goods.

Chocolate and popcorn tarts by Linh Dang Patisserie

Some of my favourite discoveries included Linh Dang Patisserie which had created the most delicious dark chocolate tarts oozing caramel and topped with sticky popcorn. I also loved Jo Barrett’s pastries which showcase native ingredients like port and wattleseed danishes.

The Beatrix team

There were also lots of established names there like covetable donuts from All Day Donuts, Butterbing’s delicious cookie sandwiches (including a special peanut butter and jelly flavour to mark 4 July) and pastries and pastries and bread from Cobb Lane bakery in Yarraville.

Calamity Janes from Beatrix

I did spend quite a bit of cash at Beatrix’s stand – unable to resist the towering cakes and “Calamity Janes” ($5) which are Beatrix’s take on a Wagon Wheel.

Salted caramel cookie sandwiches at Butterbing

To counter all the sweet stuff there were also a few savoury options. Pure Pie was probably the most popular stall at the Flour Market with a queue stretching the length of the hall for the pies and sausage rolls. I opted for Pierogi Pierogi’s Polish dumplings instead ($10 for five), filled with slow cooked beef and topped with a dollop of sour cream.

Pierogi at the Flour Market

You’ve really got to be serious about your love for baked goods to queue for up to an hour to get into the Flour Market. But perhaps unsurprisingly there are plenty of people in Melbourne who are sufficiently obsessed. Flour Market is a feeding frenzy but it’s also quite a fun way to spend a Sunday morning.

Essentials
Detail: Flour Market, Collingwood Town Hall, Hoddle Street, Collingwood. The market only runs a couple of times a year (and has surfaced in Sydney once). Keep an eye on Flour Market’s social media feeds.
Damage: $2 entry.
7/10